•Photo: Israel Funsho
His recent victory at the just concluded first edition of Destiny Child Gospel TV Reality Show changed his story from rags to riches. Israel Funsho, won N3million cash and a brand new Hyundai car at the TV reality show. An only child of his mother from a polygamous home, he met with his father for the first time after he was declared winner. Anthonia Soyingbe , our Senior Reporter, met up with him recently. Here is his inspiring life story.
Can you let us into your background?
I am from a polygamous home and the only child of my mother.
How far have you gone academically?
My educational background is very complicated but I managed to bag a National Diploma from Osun State Polytechnic in 2006. I studied Business Administration.
Undoubtedly, getting to this stage must have been difficult. How were you able to cross the hurdles?
Life itself is not so easy hence I knew starting a career in music won’t be easy. I couldn’t further my education because of limited finance so I left Ilorin for Abuja just to search for a better platform to showcase my musical talent. When I got to Abuja, life was tough especially as I didn’t know anyone; I had to stay in a Redeemed Christian Church of God for about eight months. At a point in time, I left Abuja for Akure, stayed in that town for another eight months and ran back to Abuja in January 2010 to start all over again. I got a church that was paying me N20, 000.00 monthly as their music director. I later got a higher offer, N40, 000.00; from another church for the same position. They later introduced other juicy allowances which offered me the opportunity of doing some few things. During that process, I met my wife and now we are happily married.
If things were so rough for you back then, why gospel music when you could easily have gone into secular songs?
I embraced gospel because of my story; my life is a very big story. My father sent my mother packing when she was just two months pregnant with me. That was how the life of struggle began for me. It was just myself and my mother. According to my mother, she tried to abort me about nine times but all her efforts were fruitless. These and many others things that happened in my life in later years pointed to the fact that I must live my life for God for being alive. I am always conscious of my life and I try as much as possible not to offend this God who gave me life. I can’t just do anything aside gospel. Some people call me Church Boy but I am happy because I know God’s perfect plan will come to fulfillment in my life. During my struggling days in Abuja, I sang at clubs and other social gatherings but I knew within me that God’s plans exceed those places.
How do you feel emerging the overall winner?
I can’t explain how I feel but I feel so great and this feat points to the fact that God loves me. I now speak to the media and this also goes a long way to show that God is taking me to a great height. I can’t get over these feelings easily and I don’t know how to explain it. All glory be unto God. You will have to look inside of me to understand how I feel now. Now I can boast of millions in my account whereas I had no kobo to my name before. I have a car right now. I don’t know if you understand what I mean? I can’t just explain this feeling because it is beyond me. God has done what He alone can do. The car was delivered to me in my church and I was overwhelmed. It was a very lovely experience.
In other words you never expected to win?
I was surprised because I never thought I would win. Even though I was told by God before I went in for the competition that it was meant for me, when I got there and met other talented contestants I considered better than I am, I had my doubts. They were exceptionally good. My name wasn’t included initially and at a point, I called my wife telling her I won’t be able to win the competition because of the other talented contestants. I was surprised because I thought I won’t make it but deep down I wasn’t really because God Himself told me that I will make it.
Aside the prizes you won, in what other ways has this competition affected your life positively?
It brought my father and I face-to-face for the first time in my life. Don’t forget, I told you earlier that my mother was driven out by my father when she was two months pregnant with me. When my mother was two months pregnant, she got to know her best-friend, her chief bride’s maid was three months pregnant and found out that my father impregnated her friend before her wedding to him. She confronted my father and that was the genesis of the whole crisis. He sent her out and married my mother’s best friend. This great woman labored so hard to take good care of me as her only child. She didn’t remarry after her very bitter experience. My father never bothered to look for me neither did I bother to search for him. I was more determined to make a success of my life and make my mother proud because of the sacrifices she made for me. In 2012, my father’s sister decided to search for all my father’s children via the social media. Luckily, she got me on Facebook. Her intention was to reconcile my father with all his children. That was how I got my aunt’s contact. A week to the finals I called her and invited her and her husband. Days before the finals, she informed me that she will be coming with my father. I was pleased with that. I told her to bring him so that he will see what God has done so far in my life. The mistake I made that day was to have informed the producer that my father was around and that was my first time of seeing him. My father was invited to the stage and that to me and I am sure for him, was a very wonderful and emotional experience.
What is your current relationship with your father?
It has being lovely. Infact he wanted to be there when the car was presented to me few days back but I declined because we still need some time to settle things. He can’t just get into my life and my schedules like that. I have forgiven him and we have been talking.
Now that you have become a star via the contest, what is your next line of action as regards music?
This is the platform I have been waiting for and I thank God that it is here for good. I have a message of hope and faith. I want to get into the world and tell people about Jesus and all His deeds. This is the time when the world has to hear this and that is my major assignment now.
How do you intend to spend the money?
No other way than first to pay my tithe, invest the rest and don’t forget that I have my own vision. I was pushing Inspiration Gospel Reality Show before Destiny Child came up. I will invest the remaining money while I am on contract with Destiny Child. Afterwards, I will come back to my vision and get things done well.